Class of 2013 - Israel Trip - Day #1

This summer I graduated from High School and as a graduation present my parents told me I could chose any where in the world to visit.  I couldn't decide, there were so many suggestions coming from everyone in my family!  I finally chose Israel.  At first we were going to take the whole family and go but then we decided that just Dad, Joshua, and I would make the 7,000 mile journey to the Holy Land.  I'm so thankful that daddy works for the airlines and we have flight benefits to make it all possible!  We left Saturday night out of Philadelphia on the 10 hour flight and arrived at 1:30 in the afternoon in Israel!  We took the bus from the airport to Jerusalem and on the walk from the central bus station to the hostel we passed a wedding party going through the market...

 

 This is where we stayed during our time in Jerusalem, Abraham's Youth Hostel

 On Sunday evening walked down to the Machane Yehuda Market.

 We bought some dried apricots to snack on---we got a better deal than the ones in the above picture though :P 1/2 kilo. for 10 shekels!  (3.4 shekels is equivalent to 1 U.S. dollar)

 We also got Falafels for dinner which are Israel's national snack. 
A Falafel is a deep-fried ball or patty made from ground chickpeas or fava beans.  It is a traditional Arab food, usually served in a pita.  The falafel balls are stuffed in the pita bread pocket and topped with salads, pickled vegetables, and hot sauces then drizzled with tahini-based sauces.

Bread being carried through the market...

 

 We also walked down to the old city to the Wailing Wall on the first day.

There is a divider between the ladies and the men at the wall. 

The wall is a remnant of the ancient wall that surrounded the Jewish Temple's courtyard.

 

Check back soon for a post about our adventures to Masada and the Dead Sea!

 

~Kaitlyn